2017 Ranked

A+
10/10
Philosophically complex, faith challenging, masterfully shot, Garfield at his best, clearly an honest work of art made out of passion. A couple minor audio issues.

Re-released in August for some reason. Saw it because I never saw it on a big screen before.
A+
10/10
Massive in scale, perfect voice casting, fantastic score, great story, one of the top 3 best Disney animated films. Some character's eyes randomly change color.

A
9/10
Visually stunning, outstanding direction and acting, incredible soundtrack, fantastic story. The clue on the wooden horse is revealed too early, little too much product placement, and the tide at the end rises like six feet in three minutes.

A
9/10
A dramatic and unpredictable dark comedy that kept me glued to the edge of my seat. Some of the best acting and character writing I've seen. A couple scenes could have been cut or shortened. How did she hear the reporter from her car that far away? The ending will likely divide audiences.

A
9/10
A fresh, intriguing, emotionally investing take on the body swapping story but I think that realistically, the characters would have tried to contact eachother sooner and (not really a spoiler) the girl would have looked at her hand right right after beginning her descent on the mountain instead of 10 minutes of screen time later.

Free screening at a local independent theater for LGBT pride month.
A
9/10
Despite some annoying rebellious teen stereotypes and the disproportionate amount of men in a small Kansas town interested in underage boys, the film is a fascinating and sometimes intense look at how one childhood incident can completely change the lives and personalities of two boys in two different ways.

A
9/10
Slow with a purpose, very ambitious but emotionally inspiring piece of art, looks incredible despite its $100,000 budget. Two overly long scenes could have been heavily edited down or even cut entirely and the film could have had the same effect.

A
9/10
One of the strangest and most thematically complex movies of the year. Rich with religious parallels, social commentary, and a look into the psyche of someone what can't handle failure. Viewers will definitely benefit from a second watch.

A
9/10
If this movie doesn't win Best Editing at the 2018 awards ceremony, the Academy are officially a bunch of hacks who have no idea what they're doing.

A-
8/10
I think the only reason its so high on the list is because I have a soft spot for WW2 movies. Even still, the film's unrelenting tension, grit, and incredible dogfighting sequences more than make up for its lack of character development and somewhat unnecessary nonlinear story.

A-
8/10
Intense, gritty, fast paced thrill ride. Robert Pattinson at his best. One situation about 2/3 in seems a little implausible to get out of and the films outcome could have changed completely if the main character had just waited 3 hours (not really a spoiler).

A-
8/10
Shamalamadingdong has been forgiven for his streak of misfires. On paper the premise may sound ridiculous, but the film still manages to be quite suspenseful. The characters have a decent amount of depth, James McAvoy is extremely entertaining, and any implausibilities are explained toward the end.

A-
8/10
I keep saying action movies need a vulnerable hero to make the story more investing, and thankfully Logan gets that. There's also something about gruff older characters well past their prime or have been away from their craft for a long time that I find intriguing. The R rating rarely feels unnecessary or shoehorned in, and adds to the drama.

A-
8/10
The film is a powerhouse of strong performances that show the ups and downs of an African-American family in the 1950s. Denzel Washington plays a complex character who remains sympathetic even when he isn't conventionally likable.

A-
8/10
Wildly ambitious but sometimes a bit on the nose with its symbolism. The first half is perhaps a little too slow but the second half presents some interesting psychological thrills.

A-
8/10
This movie is very silly, but it's genuinely funny, and captures the innocent, fun spirit of the source material perfectly. It put a big smile on my face and put me in a good mood. More kids movies should be like this.

B+
7/10
Pixar's best movie since Inside Out. I appreciate how they tackled more mature themes (by Disney standards at least). As a guitarist I appreciate how they made the fingerings and chord shapes match up accurately with the music. The film uses a lot of tropes of modern Disney movies in a way that makes them feel fresh, and I couldn't imagine the movie being the same without them.

B+
7/10
Tom Holland is the best all-around Spiderman, and captures the awkwardness of high school life realistically and humorously. I appreciate that they didn't just tell another origin story and answered many questions about the character of Spiderman in a somewhat self aware manner. The end feels a bit anticlimactic, the score is generic, and I'm a fan of organic webshooters, too.

B+
7/10
Michael Shannon is gold as usual and Sally Hawkins delivers a surprisingly good performance considering she has no lines. Guillermo del Toro makes great looking movies with his own distinct flair and this one is no exception. One of the weirder movies of the year but he manages to make this romantic Creature From The Black Lagoon work.

B+
7/10
Humorous, suspenseful, and intriguing. I don't like the documentary-esque direction and Tom Cruise's passive portrayal of the character.

B+
7/10
Interesting characters and story with some engaging sequences, but not as investing as other thrillers I've seen. The cinematography is a little flat, and the scene in the back of the police car probably could have been cut.

B+
7/10
The director does a fantastic job building tension through creepy, slow camerawork and utilizing a fear of the unknown, and he makes the fake out dream cliche actually work, but I'm not sure that he conveyed his ideas in the way he wanted to. Some abstract ideas don't translate well into reality, such as how the red door shows the gateway to danger, but in reality a wooden door can't contain a virus in one room. The characters have no personality and don't get much development. I feel the vagueness of the virus is a detriment to the film, since real people wouldn't talk about it in such a vague manner.

B
7/10
There are some magical moments, particularly in the Amazon scenes, but the film feels a bit dry and lacking in emotion and substance. The whole WWI sequence could have been cut as well.

B
7/10
A horror comedy where both the horror and comedy aspects are fairly well done but could have been improved. It could have been funnier and it could've done without the stupid orchestral strings accompanying everything that popped out. Good acting overall but LilRel Howery stole the show as the comic relief.

B
7/10
The ultimate definition of a fun popcorn action movie (except maybe Fast 6). At this point in the franchise, the ridiculous plot just serves as a means of giving us fun action with the characters we've grown to know and love for the last 7 movies.